This invention relates to a direct mail videocassette that is lightweight and has a virtually indestructible housing. Specifically, the invention is directed to a videocassette housing made of durable material, such as plastic, and having a limited number of parts while remaining compatible with known videocassette recorders.
The original design and construction of traditional type videocassette housings (e.g., VHS cassettes) has not changed significantly since videocassettes were developed in the 1970's. However, the number of applications for videocassettes has grown significantly during this time. For example, today, a great number of videocassettes are used for direct mail video marketing and promotion of products and services.
In a typical example of existing cassettes, U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,622 to Okamura et al. is directed to a tape cassette housing including an upper half casing and a lower half casing which are screwed together to form the housing. In addition to being time consuming during the production of videocassettes, the use of screws requires a more rigid plastic such as ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene terpolymer) or polystyrene (PS). Further, the weight of the tape cassette taught by Okamura et al. is expensive to use in direct mailing. Additionally, the rigid plastic of the housing taught by Okamura et al. can be broken during mailing or shipping and requires protective cushioning if it is to be shipped or mailed without damage. Thus, the videocassette of Okamura et al. needs expensive corrugated cardboard boxes or bubble wrap and cardboard sleeves, and higher postage if employed for direct mail.
Integrally molded cassettes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,092,536 to Gelardi et al. and 5,544,834 to Esguerra et al. The housing of Esguerra et al. is primarily in two pieces, namely a housing piece and a dust cover. The Gelardi et al. videocassette housing also includes an integral dust cover. However, neither the videocassette taught by Esguerra et al. nor that taught by Gelardi et al. actually work well in videocassette recorders, loaders, and duplication decks, and are not fully VHS compatible.
The videocassette disclosed by Gelardi et al. is suitable only to be used once or twice and then thrown away. The Gelardi et al. videocassette relies on an external dust cover latch that is subject to becoming damaged as the dust cover opens and closes each time the videocassette is engaged with a player/recorder, and lacks sufficient spring force to keep the dust cover closed. Since the dust cover of Gelardi et al. can be easily opened, the videotape, which the dust cover protects, can become damaged.
Neither Gelardi et al. nor Esguerra et al. address the need for a lightweight videocassette or problems associated with direct mailing. Gelardi et al. discusses a need for a cassette housing which is made out of recyclable material and can be produced at a low cost, but, is not concerned with the weight of the cassette. While the Esguerra et al. patent discloses a videotape cassette made of non-brittle material capable of withstanding substantial handling and misuse without breaking, it does not provide a lightweight reliable cassette suitable for direct mail application.
This invention is in a crowded and mature art and succeeds where previous efforts have failed. As stated above, none of the above-identified patents are directed to solving problems associated with direct mailing. Thus, none of the patents are concerned with achieving a lightweight cassette that has a high resistance to impact and is fully operational in known videocassette recorders.
This invention satisfies a void in the videocassette art and the need for an inexpensive, lightweight videocassette that is durable and operational in industry standard players/recorders. Moreover, this invention will revolutionize direct mail marketing and promotions, as expensive, protective packaging is no longer necessary when mailing videocassettes to prospective customers.